‘The Mummy’ is a thrilling action film which should have stayed a horror film
Universal begins their reboot of their classic monsters franchise with The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella as the titular character. This is the first film under the “Dark Universe” banner as the studio attempts to blend horror, science fiction and thrills together. Sadly, The Mummy can decide which of these it wants at the core.
After a brief back story explaining the Egyptian roots of Boutella’s Ahmanet, the story picks up with Nick Morton (Cruise), a rogue grave robber, and his cohort played by Jake Johnson (again providing comic relief as he did in Jurassic World.) Annabelle Wallis plays an archaeologist, Dr. Jenny Halsey, who joins the fray as the tomb raiders unwittingly release Ahmanet back into the world.
The stunning airplane crash revealed in the trailers doesn’t disappoint as the film moves into horror mode and Ahmanet is brought back to life. Nick is somehow cursed with being the new mummy’s lover, hallucinating over and over again, leading to the introduction of Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll. The remainder of the film is more action and thrills than anything from the horror genre.
Sadly, fans of the original films, cheering for a reboot of these amazing creatures, will incredibly disappointed. In total contrast to the new Pirates of the Caribbean film, which starts slow and ends strong, The Mummy is a great horror film and then unravels into a bland mess with cliches and conflicting material.
There would be no surprise in learning a major re-edit or conflict with a producer created two completely separately films forced together to get this to release. That twists to set up future films, centering around this “secret society” built around Crowe’s character, but frankly, we’re never drawn in to care about any of it.
Easter Eggs abound, which should have been included to warn of a Dracula or the Creature From the Black Lagoon. Instead, it just feels forced and contradictory to Universal’s stance against an end credits scene (no, there wasn’t one), saying that’s “Marvel’s thing” — no, you needed it.
Cruise is miscast in many ways. He doesn’t the sex appeal he had in his youth to pull off the early version of Nick and doesn’t carry a mystic which would warrant his role in a greater Dark Universe.
Universal’s biggest mistake is jettisoning the horror aspects set up early on with crows, creepy zombies and Johnson’s quips. Once the film becomes an action chase film, it completely bores.
Boutella’s Mummy is creepy and scary early on, but then reduced to a supporting character for a long middle section of the film as Crowe’s role is explained.
The Mummy receives 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars
I will confess that I may watch it again, helping to finance move films because I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, but don’t expect too much. I must also confess that it is that love which Universal is exploiting and will not finance several of these failed projects as planned (Bride of Frankenstein is up next.)
BTW Universal, don’t tease some of the “things” you teased in the trailers, it ruined a MAJOR twist in the film – dumb move.
[…] came the critical and commercial bombing of The Mummy, a film lost between Horror for the first half of the film and a plotless, lame Tom Cruise action film the …wasting the talents of its stars and only grossed $80 million domestically on of a reported $125 […]
[…] Production was set to start this February in London, but the studio and Condon have paused plans to ensure the script is in tip-top condition. especially after the lackluster Tom Cruise led film, The Mummy. […]